Daniela had also bathed that evening and put on the clean clothes professor Vasiliou had left on Myrsini's bed for her. They were a snug pair of sun-faded jeans and a light green peasant blouse which gathered at the shoulder. The top showed off the sun she had recently acquired during the morning ferryboat cruise and their lunch excursion into Hora. As Daniela looked into the mirror while combing her hair, she took note of her face and how it reflected the time she and Nicasio had spent in Greece-soon completing one week. She saw a young woman notably relaxed and happy. There was something about this incredibly beautiful island and the escapist atmosphere of the professor's house and village which gave her such a sense of exhilaration and at the same time peace. She felt she wanted to hear music-any kind of music, and had the sensation it would not take much encouragement for her to dance to what ever rhythm presented itself.

As she passed by the study on her way to the stairwell, she peeked in and saw the professor seated at her desk in front of a large screen with groupings of text and small pictures. She seemed to be chatting online quickly and copiously. The room was dim with the curtain closed and the illumination of the monitor its only source of light.

"Thanks' for the clean clothes," Daniela said softly, intending not to disturb her further.

"You're quite welcome," Dr. Vasiliou answered in a monotone voice, continuing to type. "Just finishing up . . . a few messages . . . to my many friends for the evening . . ."

She then finished her messaging, closed the computer, and turned around.

"So Daniela. let's look at you in these clothes. . ." She stood and approached her, stopping framed in the doorway. "See? They fit perfectly!"

"They really do. And they're very comfortable." Daniela smiled.

"Well, comfortable is the key here," the professor replied, smiling back. "Wait . . . you're missing something. Come with me."

The professor passed her quickly in the doorway, leading her down the stairs past the main room with the books and fireplace. She guided her further back into the house. They came to the master bedroom and Daniela waited a little nervously as the professor entered and opened a large, antique armoire. It covered a great portion of the room's back wall. She quickly slid out several small drawers, seeming to look for something specific.

"Ah, to vrika!" she said finally, obviously locating what she wanted. "For that color combination, you must wear these. . ." She handed her a large, iridescent abalone shell necklace and small, matching earrings. They were, indeed, a perfect turquoise blend, complementing the shades of blue and green she now had on. Daniela took them in her hand while the professor motioned her over to the mirror. She put the earrings on with the professor watching, feeling a bit like adolescent sisters playing 'dress up' in their mother's room.

"There you are . . . Stunning!" The professor began helping Daniela with the necklace clasp. She hardly had a moment to see the total effect in the mirror or even thank her when a phone rang somewhere in the house. Dr. Vasiliou left abruptly, this time returning to the living room.

Daniela followed, lagging behind her. With cell phone in hand, the professor had taken a seat on the large chair across from the divan. She was quietly engaged in what seemed to be a serious conversation in Greek when she pointed to the coffee table for Daniela's benefit. Obviously earlier, she had set out a large platter of bread, celery, cherry tomatoes, and an inviting terracotta bowl of tsatziki, a Greek yogurt garlic dip with cucumbers. Next to this was an open bottle of red wine and two tall glasses.

"I'm afraid this will have to be our dinner tonight," she whispered, holding her hand over the phone momentarily.

Daniela just nodded with a look of satisfaction.

The professor continued chatting, making what seemed to be emphatic statements to the person on the other end of the line, but ended the call cordially, placing the phone in front of her on the table.

"You seem like a girl who eats healthily and watches your weight," she continued, as if the phone call had never been an interruption.

"Yes. . . I guess I am . . . and thank you for all this. It looks delicious! Just enough, I'm sure." Daniela reached over from the divan to sample the creamy tzatziki with a piece of bread.

"Well, for tomorrow I'll call Thomas. He's our local produce vendor on mule back."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yes. He comes door to door and delivers the most amazing fruits and vegetables. All fresh and locally grown down the mountain. He'll also bring you bread, milk, coffee, and even meat from the butcher in Chora if you ring him up beforehand."

"That's great. Obviously a very old tradition here."

"My grandmother used the mule delivery system as well. From this very house."

Daniela's eyes widened. "That is so amazing. Everything here is so . . . quaint and different. You can really feel the centuries . . . almost everywhere you look in Greece. It's just not that way in America. Especially California."

The professor smiled. "Yes. And what's really exciting, Daniela, is when you bring back something that was once truly ancient . . . and give it life again."

Daniela was a bit uncertain about the comment, but nodded in agreement while the professor poured the dark wine.

"You see . . . all my life I had studied the past. And in this part of the world there's a lot to study. As a student nothing made me happier than to read about our great myths. Later, all the historical connections to those stories became a fascination to me."

"I can totally see why."

"And later . . . as I entered more concentrated research I learned that many of these myths had traces to reality . . . real people and real places. I made it my passion to find hard historical evidence that those marvelous stories in our literature may have actually happened."

"Very nice. . . I admire you for that."

"Eventually those real occurrences in time and place was where I wanted to devote my life. To truly explore them."

"Well I can see you have done that."

"Then you can imagine how intrigued I was when I was given the rarest of opportunities . . . to help bring back something once thought to be only mythical. Something that was kept alive all this while . . . secretly. By some very special people . . . all since antiquity."

"Wow."

Again Daniela was puzzled by the professor's cryptic comments, but knew full well from the intensity with which she spoke that she was revealing something profound to her.

"Are you speaking of the Amazons?" She asked boldly. She could feel the excitement building in her chest. She was now entering into a dialogue with one of the few people in the world who perhaps knew more than any other on this topic-a subject which had, since she had come to Greece, so consumed Daniela.

"Yes. I am speaking of them. Their history and mythography was one of my great passions as a young researcher. But then in the mid-1990's the subject became even more alive. Discoveries were made by archaeological teams which opened the door to Amazon research to be truly historically focused."

"That must have been very exciting for you."

"I was motivated like never before." The professor looked wistfully across the room at her massive bookshelves. "You see those published studies gave the world new evidence of an era and general region where a nomadic horse-tribe of women warriors once existed. They were fierce fighters but at the same time mothers, sisters and the closest of friends. They had created their own subculture based on independence as women. I saw in them something truly deserving of further study."

"That is so exciting, Nefeli."

"And the time and place of those discoveries turned out to be remarkably consistent with much of what I had studied of the Amazons as recorded in antiquity about them. Then, several years later, I and my close colleagues came upon several incredible discoveries ourselves. I told you a bit about one of them today."

"Yes. Those lost diaries of . . . the Greek navigator. . ."

"Exactly. And that led us to an even more irresistible opportunity to pursue the Amazons as a real, existing culture. Our discoveries were totally unexpected and even today remain unknown to current research."

"That must have been amazing to you."

Daniela could feel the cadence of a pulse in her neck beginning to quicken.

"Yes, Daniela it was. And also for a few others. They became my devoted sisters in this study. You see, I was not alone. There were other women with the same passion and interests as mine. In the beginning it was just a handful of close researchers who were able to piece together what turned out to be a phenomenal find. Then a remarkable story."

"This must have taken you years."

"Precisely. Twelve years ago we took the initiative to carry out that research based on the historical efforts put in place by other women. These were exceptional women from the past. You see, they had been working over the centuries in secret to broaden the influence of the original Amazons and their original ideals. It was truly the workings of a secret society."

"That's really . . . amazing!"

"Our work has expanded their reach. To our own times. Across oceans and political systems. Even barriers of race and religion. We've helped to carry these efforts into the most sophisticated societies using the most advanced technologies found on any continent."

Daniela's eyes widened again.

"The spirit of the Amazons is literally growing virally under the surface right now and soon it will emerge."

Daniela was silent, trying to fully comprehend all she was hearing.

The professor could sense in Daniela's eyes a mixture of interest and confusion. Yet she could also see that she was beginning to understand the magnitude of her present work. There was also the perception of Daniela's readiness to accept the power of it all, and a willingness to be amenable to help if asked.

"You see, Daniela, what we discovered as a result of those diaries and logs, and later our own excavations, is really about the will of some very special women in the past. They preserved a true sisterhood . . . one which we have revitalized and expanded."

"I see."

"Their purpose was always simple. To increase the power and accomplishments of females. A wish to remain independent from men throughout all ages. The need to do that is still vital today. You see, Daniela, our efforts have been to simply carry out that wish. Does any of this make sense to you?"

She could hardly believe she was being asked such a fundamental yet daring question.

"Oh yes, it does. From what you have told me today, I can easily believe this is going on. And yes . . . it is so necessary!"

"So you approve of my work?"

"Completely, Dr. . ."

"Please. Nefeli."

"Yes . . . Nefeli."

For a moment the two women made silent and direct eye contact. Finally Daniela broke the quiet pause.

"Well I think I must have become fascinated in my childhood with that whole idea . . . of girls having power. As warriors even!" She then laughed to herself a little embarrassed. "And later as I grew older I always wished I could be more . . . assertive . . . though I struggled with that."

"There . . . you see?"

"I've only realized recently that there is something still inside me that wants to make that leap. Something I feel even stronger now here . . . so far from home . . ."

"So tell me, Daniela. Where does that feeling really come from?"

"I guess it's about not wanting to be controlled. As it seems I always have been. My parents . . . my work . . . even the stupid ladies at the riding stables. The ones who tell me not to ride out too far on the trails in the evening."

"Exactly. It's about all that. But it's also about your internal power for survival, Daniela. Realizing now that you must survive. And to be able to handle the pain and setbacks in this life. On your own . . . and truly independently."

"Yes. I see that."

"And that frightens a lot of people. Especially females . . . from the way they've been conditioned in most societies."

"You are so right about that. I felt those fears early as a little girl. And it did lead me to want to be stronger. To want to trust myself. But it was never easy. The battle was always difficult in my house."

"Of course it was. And still is."

"You know . . . only when I'm out riding my horse . . . do I feel free from of that. I feel the possibilities to be stronger with everything. I want to ride as far and as fast as I can on those afternoons. Toward real freedom."

The encounter with the large cat suddenly entered her mind again.

"Even toward . . . danger I guess."

Dr. Vasiliou smiled. "That's not atypical, Daniela. Many women have this wish. But it's beautiful! Please . . . go on.

The professor seemed animated and with a genuine interest in her. She held her glass of wine up across the table in a silent toast.

Daniela lifted her own glass in response to the gesture and smiled.

"Well . . . I guess just coming here, so far from California . . . and seeing those beautiful . . ."

She suddenly caught herself. She could not tell the professor she had spent days looking at hundreds of exquisite images of Amazons in the Blegen Library-the very place where the professor had lectured and taught her coursework.

"Just seeing a few images of Amazons in art already . . . and actually that lovely painting you have here in your home . . ."

She looked out candidly toward the hallway.

The professor smiled again and nodded.

"So . . . yeah. I guess being here in Greece . . . and now on this lovely island and all. It's opened my eyes to that feeling again. Just telling my boss I was going to leave for a while was great. Even though he insisted and even threatened me to stay. It just brought out that need for freedom even further."

"That's fantastic, pedi mou! You're definitely growing."

"And now, here at your home . . . away from them all . . . even Nicasio. I feel it pretty strongly now."

"Bravo!"

"See, not returning to Athens with Nicasio was a big step for me. There's some guilt about it still . . . but also there's this wonderful solitude here . . . It fills me up. It takes it all away!"

"Well put, Daniela."

"Just being hidden away here in your village. It makes me feel I don't really need much else. . . Men for example.

The professor laughed out loud.

"Well, we all come to that realization sooner or later, Daniela."

Daniela smiled self-consciously.

But come on, young lady . . . they're nice to have around sometimes . . . in small doses . . . and for certain things . . . aren't they really?"

Daniela laughed out loud, as well. "Yeah. Sometimes, I suppose."

"OK. So as promised," the professor said more seriously. "Let's not forget something . . ."

Dr. Vasiliou got up, placed her wine glass on the table, and mysteriously left the room.

She called back to Daniela as she ascended the stairs. "Make yourself comfortable young lady. I'm going to share something with you this evening you really must see . . ."

* * *